Main spring oilers



. INVENTOR. %?0mw1 kwwarw 7 Am ay KAZUMA OKAMOTO MAIN SPRING OILERSFlled July 5 1955 IIIIIIIII'IIIIII Nov. 5, 1957 United States Patent MANSPRING OILERS Kazuma Okamoto, Cheyenne, Wyo.

Application July 5, 1955, Serial No. 519,980 1 Claim. (Cl. 15-133) Thisinvention relates to a tool for servicing the main springs of clocks,watches, and other spring-actuated devices, and is more particularlydesigned for use by watchmakers in repairing, cleaning and servicingwatches.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple, highlyefiicient, economical device by means of which the entire length of amain spring may be quickly and easily cleaned, polished, and lubricated.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the device that itcan be supported and operated with one hand while the other hand is usedto support and manipulate the spring being serviced.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of theinvention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efliciency.These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention reference is hadto the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numeralsrefer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout thedescription.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 illustrates the improved spring-servicing tool as it would appearin use;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a top view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a bottom view thereof; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinal section through theimproved spring-servicing tool.

The improved tool consists of an elongated, tubular barrel adapted tocontain spring lubricating oil, such as indicated at 11 in Fig. 5. Thebarrel 10 is closed at its rear extremity by means of any suitableclosure, such as a removable cork 12, and at its forward extremity bymeans of an absorbent core 13. The core 13 may be formed of any suitableabsorbent material, such as felt or cotton, and extends well within thebarrel 10 to provide an absorbent Wick-like portion therewithin. Theforward extremity of the core 13 protrudes from the forward extremity ofthe barrel to provide a spring wiping pad or portion.

A cylindrical sleeve 14 slidably surrounds the barrel 10 adjacent itsforward extremity. The sleeve 14 is formed with a forwardly projecting,pointed arm portion 15 and with a thumb-receiving opening 16. It is alsopreferably knurled or otherwise roughened, as indicated at 17, toprovide a firm thumb and finger grip.

A channel-shaped post 18 is formed on or attached to the pointed armportion 15 of the sleeve 14 so as to extend diametrically across theforward extremity of the barrel 10. A resilient absorbent pad 19 isinserted in the channel of the post 18 and projects toward the forwardextremity of the core 13 and diametrically across the latter.

The forward longitudinal movement of the sleeve 14 is limited by meansof a stop pin 20 mounted in the barrel 2 10 and extending through anelongated slot 21 in the sleeve 14. The slot 21 and the pin 20 alsoserve to prevent rotation of the sleeve 14 on the barrel 10. Rearwardmovement of the sleeve 14 is, of course, limited by the absorbent pad 19contacting the extremity of the core 13.

In use, the barrel is partially filled with the lubricating oil 11 andthe cork 12 is inserted to maintain the oil in place. When it is desiredto service a spring, the barrel is gripped in one hand with the thumband fingers engaging the sleeve 14. By movement of the thumb andfingers, the sleeve is moved forwardly to separate the pad 19 from thecore 13, and a coil of a main spring, such as indicated at 22 in Fig. 1,is slipped between the pad 19 and the core 13.

The sleeve 14 is now drawn rearwardly on the barrel 10 by the movementof the thumb and fingers so that the coil of the spring will be firmlygripped between the pad 19 and the core 13. The spring is now rotated topass its entire length between the pad and the core so that it will beefficiently cleaned and lubricated throughout its length by frictionalcontact with the dry pad 19 and the lubricant-saturated core 13.

When the cleaning is completed, the sleeve is simply forced forwardlywith the thumb and removed from the spring. The thumb opening 16 allowsthe thumb of the user to be inserted through the sleeve and into contactwith the barrel to firmly lock the sleeve in its main spring engagingposition during the cleaning and lubricating operation.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described andillustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may bevaried, within the scope of the appended claims, Without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired securedby Letters Patent is:

A tool for lubricating timepiece springs comprising: an elongatedtubular barrel adapted to contain spring lubricating oil; a closuremember closing the rear extremity of said barrel; an absorbent coreclosing the forward extremity of said barrel and projecting from thelatter; a tubular cylindrical sleeve slidably surrounding said barreladjacent its forward extremity; a forwardly projecting pointed armportion formed on and being integral with said sleeve and partiallysurrounding and lying against said barrel and provided with an openingthrough which the thumb of a user may be pressed against said barrel tolock said sleeve against longitudinal movement; a channel-shaped postmounted on the forward extremity of said pointed arm and extendingdiametrically across the forward extremity of said barrel; and anabsorbent pad mounted in the channel of said arm opposite said pad, saidbarrel projecting unobstructedly rearward from said sleeve a distancesufficient to be gripped in the palm of the hand, with the forefingerand thumb manipulating said sleeve longitudinally of said barrel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS531,959 Oldham Jan. 1, 1895 556,786 Thompson Mar. 24, 1896 2,575,495Hummel Nov. 20, 1951v FOREIGN PATENTS 132,685 Switzerland July 1, 1929484,169 Italy Aug. 29, 1953

